Chocolate Almond Strawberry Cake

This cake is the combination of two of my longtime favourite recipes, but ones which I'd never paired together before--strawberry cake and chocolate mousse--with a touch of almond extract. I usually make this cake as cupcakes with a divine meringue-based strawberry icing, and I never consider switching up the icing - and - cake combination, because it is so good. However, I had a carton of whipping cream and a tub of strawberries in my fridge yesterday, and it seemed the perfect opportunity to try my strawberry cake recipe with a chocolate ganache or cream in place of the strawberry icing. I am so glad I decided on the mousse, because it was a perfect fit. 

The mousse recipe is one of my oldest fail-safes. I think I first made this chocolate mousse when I was about thirteen. I made it with meringue nests, and I distinctly remember the nests turning out more like slabs, but it was all delicious. I have loved this mousse ever since. I have another great mousse recipe which is just separated eggs and melted chocolate, and that recipe is a little more foolproof because in this recipe, since the chocolate can easily become little chips if the cream is too cold, or the chocolate too hot, with this recipe. However, there is a wonderful lightness to this chocolate mousse that's irresistible. The other mousse is a lot richer, whereas this one is light and airy. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it all as much as I do. 

(Happy birthday, Marieke!)

Almond Strawberry Cake 

Makes 2 cake layers, and 6 cup cakes, OR 34 cupcakes

Ingredients:
3 1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 cups fresh strawberries, finely chopped
1x Cream-based chocolate mousse (recipe below)
Maltesers, to finish it all off

Directions:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and butter and line your cake pans and/or muffin tins.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. 
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then mix in the flour mixture, alternating with the milk. 
• Divide the mixture between the cake pans and/or muffin tins.
• Bake in the preheated oven for anywhere between 20-35 minutes, depending on the pan. Remove when the cake springs back to the touch, and a toothpick comes clean out of the center of the cake.
• Allow the cakes to cool completely before icing.
• Once the cake is cool, and the mousse has been chilled, ice the cake, and top with maltesers. (Because what cake isn't better with maltesers!)

Cream-based Chocolate Mousse

Serves 4, or makes enough to ice one cake

Ingredients:

120g dark chocolate, chopped

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

• Melt the chocolate over a pan of simmering water, and set aside to cool.
• While the chocolate is cooling, whip the cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Be careful that your cream is not too cold, or it will cool the chocolate into chips like stracciatella. Whisk 1/3 of the cream into the chocolate, whisking well to ensure that the chocolate is mixed evenly into the cream. 
• Finally fold the chocolate mixture into the rest of the cream, and chill for a few hours before either serving or icing cake.

Enjoy!